1971-72 Toronto Sun NHL Action Players: Building Daily Readership

The 1971-72 Toronto Sun NHL Action Players are large-format hockey photo issues produced and distributed by the Toronto Sun newspaper during the early 1970s.

Background & purpose
1) Newspaper-driven promotion
These were part of a broader trend where newspapers and sponsors created collectible sports photo series to:

• Drive circulation and repeat readership
• Engage younger fans (similar to stamp or card promotions)
• Compete with established card brands like O-Pee-Chee and Topps

The Toronto Sun was a relatively new tabloid at the time (launched in 1971). The publisher used hockey collectibles as a market-entry tactic to quickly build loyalty in Canada’s most hockey-centric market.

2) Album-based collecting experience
Unlike wax-pack cards, these were typically:

• Sold or distributed in sets/sheets or weekly releases.
• Designed to be placed into a collector album or binder.
• Sometimes issued with team logos and checklist pages

What they physically are

These are often miscategorized as “cards” but structurally they’re different:

• Size: approximately 5¼" × 7" (much larger than standard cards).
• Two-hold punched along the left side intended for album insertion and storage.
• Format: glossy or semi-gloss photographic prints.
• Front: full-color action shot (hence the name).
• Back: player bio or text (varies by issue).
• Finish: more like a photo insert than cardboard stock.

You can think of them as sitting somewhere between:

• 1960s–70s Beehive photos.
• Magazine inserts.
• Oversized team-issued photos.

Set structure & scope

• Total checklist: 295 subjects.
• Covered all NHL teams of the era (14 teams).
• Multiple back variations/logos exist (a nuance collectors track today).

Why they were made
The photos were a mass-distributed promotional collectibles for the Sun. From a business standpoint, this was smart:

• Low production complexity (photos vs. multi-layer card printing).
• High perceived value (large, displayable images).
• Habit-forming distribution (weekly or serial releases).
• Brand embedding where every item reinforced Toronto Sun.

Their purpose was less about the collectible itself and more about building daily readership behavior.

Collectability today
Strengths
Large, visually appealing action photography.
Includes major Hall of Famers.
Scarcer in high grade due to size/handling.

Limitations
Not part of the “core” card canon (Topps/O-Pee-Chee).
Oversized format is harder to store/grade.
Fragmented distribution (albums, sheets, loose);

The result is a niche and often undervalued collectible relative to the player content. 

Bottom line

The 1971-72 Toronto Sun NHL Action Players were:

• A newspaper-driven promotional photo series.
• Designed to drive readership and engagement.
• Structurally oversized collectible photos, not standard cards.
• Part of a broader early-70s ecosystem of non-traditional hockey collectibles.

Underappreciated Upper Deck Commemorative Sheets

Upper Deck’s early-1990s hockey commemorative sheets sit at an interesting intersection of marketing, product innovation, and the rapid growth of the sports card hobby. They weren’t “cards” in the traditional sense. They were a strategic promotional tool during a pivotal moment for both Upper Deck Company and the hockey card market.

Background: Why Upper Deck created them
When Upper Deck entered hockey in 1990–91, it was coming off the disruptive success of its premium baseball cards featuring glossy stock, holograms, and a higher-end brand position.

• The company needed fast brand awareness in a new sport,
• The hockey card market was already competitive (Pro Set, Score, Topps, etc.),
• Upper Deck’s strategy leaned heavily on innovative promotions and scarcity,

Commemorative sheets were one of those early promotional experiments, alongside holograms, inserts, and limited runs.

What the sheets actually were
At a practical level, the sheets were:

• 8.5" × 11" heavy cardstock sheets.
• Featuring multiple card images (usually 6–9 players) laid out like an uncut mini-sheet.
• Typically blank-backed or minimally printed backs.
• Serial-numbered limited print runs (often stamped).

They often used the same photography and design language as standard Upper Deck cards, but arranged in a collectible display format rather than pack-issued singles.

Primary purpose: marketing first, collecting second
A. In-arena promotion
The biggest driver:

• Distributed at NHL games (often tied to specific matchups).
• Example: Leafs vs. Red Wings (Nov 17, 1990), All-Star Game sheets, etc.

This did two things:

• Put Upper Deck directly in front of live hockey fans.
• Created a “you had to be there” collectible.

B. Brand launch vehicle
Hockey didn’t have a built-in promotional series like baseball’s “Old-Timers” tie-ins, so Upper Deck used these sheets to:

• Showcase star players and team lineups.
• Reinforce the visual identity of their cards.
• Build awareness of their new licensed NHL product.

C. Event-driven storytelling
Sheets often commemorated:

• All-Star Games
• Specific regular-season matchups
• All-Rookie teams or award winners
• Alumni/“Heroes of Hockey” events

So they doubled as both promo and event souvenir.

Secondary purpose: controlled scarcity & hobby engagement
Upper Deck was already pushing the hobby toward scarcity (serial numbers, inserts, etc.). These sheets contributed to that shift:

• Individually numbered: early example of manufactured scarcity.
• Limited distribution: regional and event-based rarity.
• Not pack-pulled: created parallel collecting lanes outside wax boxes.

They also sometimes previewed or differed from final card releases, In at least one case, a player image (Chris Chelios) was created specifically for a sheet before the official card existed. (See Lost Cards: 1990-91 Upper Deck Update Chris Chelios in red Blackhawks jersey - Puck Junk). That gave them a quasi-“prototype” feel to collectors.

Evolution (1990-1993)
The concept stayed consistent but expanded:

1990–91: Launch year with 11 sheets. Primarily game giveaways and All-Star tie-ins.

1991–92: Rebranded often as “promotional sheets" with increased volume (19 sheets). Continued arena and event-based distribution.

1992–93: Even broader themes like team honors, rookie teams, game legends (i.e. Gordie Howe). Included alternative distribution methods (mail-in redemption for a Wayne Gretzky Heroes sheet).

How collectors view them today
From a hobby standpoint, these sheets are not core set cards and therefore often underappreciated, but historically important. They represent a snapshot of early 1990s marketing tactics, Upper Deck’s push toward premium positioning and the shift toward limited, event-based collectibles. They’re usually affordable today, but assembling a full run can be challenging due to fragmented distribution and low tracking by collectors.

Bottom line
Upper Deck commemorative hockey sheets were:

• A grassroots marketing tool to launch their NHL presence.
• A souvenir collectible tied to specific games and events.
• An early experiment in scarcity and alternative distribution.

They provide a unique view into understanding how Upper Deck helped transform the hobby from mass-produced cards to a more premium, segmented, and experience-driven market.

1976-77 San Diego Mariners: The Dean's Photo Set

The 1976-77 season was the third and final installment for the WHA's San Diego franchise. The Mariners had just been purchased by 74-year old Ray Kroc of McDonald's fame, who also owned the San Diego Padres at the time. The squad finished third in the six-team Western Division but lost in the first round of the playoffs to the eventual Avco Cup champions, the Winnipeg Jets.

A 16-card set sponsored by Dean's Photo Services saluted the team. Issued in two sheets of eight perforated cards, each measure 5" x 8" if separated. The set features 14 Mariner players, as well as a team schedule and Dean's coupons. Key members of the team included goalie Ernie Wakely, and second and third top-scorers Joe Noris and Norm Ferguson.

Oddly, Andre Lacroix is not one of the featured players. He was the team's leading scorer the previous two seasons, and was again in 1976-77.

The card backs are unnumbered and feature a bio and career statistics for each player. All the cards are black and white, except for the front of the Dean's coupons card.

The Mariners folded just prior to training camp in the fall of 1977, as did the Pheonix Roadrunners and Calgary Cowboys.

The World Champs: 1972-73 New England Whalers

The inaugural season of the World Hockey Association (WHA) saw the New England Whalers crowned as the upstart league's first champions. Headlined by former NHLers Tom Webster, Ted Green (the team's captain), Rick Ley, Jim Dorey, Brad Selwood and goalie Al Smith, the Whalers ended up with the best record in the 12-team league.

New England defeated the Ottawa Nationals and Cleveland Crusaders in the first two rounds of the playoffs, and then beat the Winnipeg Jets 4 games to 1 to capture the first Avco Cup.

A set of 17 black-and-white glossy photos—presumably produced by the team—commemorates the championship squad. Each photo measures 3 3/4" x 5" with a square white border and features posed player photos in the team's dark jerseys. The photos are unnumbered with blank backs.

Tom Webster's 53 goals was good for second in the league, and his 103 points placed him in a three-way tie for fourth (check out those white skates). Terry Caffery (right) was named the WHA's first Rookie of the Year.

The team notably included a large number of American players, including Larry Pleau (left), Tim Sheehy (center) and Tommy Williams (right).

A Pack of NNOs: 1991-92 Procards Flint Bulldogs

Procards made several minor league sets and team sets for hockey between 1988 and 1991. They featured teams from the AHL and IHL, and they were sold as team sets in the individual cities of the respective clubs, or you could order the master set from the company. 

Some of the more famous players to make their inaugural cardboard appearance via Procards include Ed Belfour, Mark Recchi, Mike Richter and Dominic Hasek. Of course there were far more minor league journeymen adorning these sets than future NHL stars.

The company's last issue from 1991-92 featured 620 cards from the AHL and IHL, but also included one team from the Colonial Hockey League (CoHL): the Flint Bulldogs.

  
The Bulldogs illustrate one of the neat/frustrating aspects of collecting these minor league sets. Oftentimes, there were variations in the cards depending on where you bought them. For example, the 23-card Flint team is numbered #429 through #451 in the standard 620-card set. But there are some "rink-only extras" to be hunted down.

Twelve unnumbered (NNO) cards--probably available in team sets only sold at the Bulldogs home rink--included 8 players, 3 staff members and the mascot:

• Steve McKinley
• Greg Simeone
• Ron High
• Jack Daly
• Glen Engevik
• Roger Beedon
• Quintin Brickley
• John Heasty
• Boris Bulldog (Mascot)
• Sylvie Neveu (Assistant GM)
• Matt Gallagher (Scouting)
• Bob Davies (Trainer)

So the complete set of Bulldogs totals out at a whopping 35 cards! There are several other little-known unnumbered cards in many of Procards' issues, but this is by far the largest cache of NNOs.

None of the eight additional players suited up for many games with the Bulldogs in the 1991-92 season. And John Heasty hadn't played for two years prior to joining Flint that year!